Infant Toddler Project

   The Central Regional Key is proud to announce that the new Infant Toddler Project is up and running an in full swing for fiscal year 11-12. This project is part of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning's quest for quality early care and education for all learners. This targeted Technical Assistance is available to STAR 2 providers who are looking to improve quality and increase supports available to infant toddler caregivers.

   Quality infant and toddler programming is based on a foundation of strong relationships. Young children learn best when they feel safe and secure. Infants and toddlers are brand new to this world and need to be gently and patiently guided to learn about how everything works.

   The Infant Toddler Specialist works with 1 particular classroom which has been recommended by the program director for a period of 6 months. All resources and tools utilized with this classroom can also be shared with other infant toddler caregivers at the facility.

   The IT Specialist is able to provide supports to 8 child care programs at one time with on-site visits every other week to each classroom, providing 25-50 hours of on-site assistance to the program. Tools such as the ITERS-Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale and CSEFEL's Inventory of Practice are used in the IT Project to gain knowledge of the program and best practices for infant and toddler care.

   The IT Specialist, program director, administration and caregiving staff work together to look at strengths and possible areas of concern for a particular classroom, and create an action plan with goals and action steps to complete during the consultation. Possible areas that can be addressed include:

Responsive Caregiving and Interactions
Health and Safety Concerns
Environment and Room Arrangement
Child Guidance
Planning, Observation and Assessment
Parent Communication
Community and Staff Development; and
Transitions for Children

For more information, contact Shannon Cohick at slcohick@stepcorp.org